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Meg Mac releases the deeply resonant anthem ‘Give Me My Name Back’

By:Matthew Forbes / 20 October 2018

Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Meg Mac has returned with a new single, ‘Give Me My Name Back’. The track is more than just the first taste of a forthcoming album – it’s an impassioned tribute to victims of abuse, and a call for the repossession of one’s self.

Rather than focusing on a specific context, community or incident, the song approaches the sadly ever relevant issue with a broad scope, taking into account the many forms of emotional and physical abuse and the countless number of people it affects.“It’s for the women who are standing up and speaking out, “ Mac told Billboard, “those discriminated against in the LGBTQI community, the indigenous people of Australia and the children abused by the church. It’s for everyone who has lost an important part of themselves and need to reclaim their identity, dignity and self-worth in order to move forward with their lives.”

‘Give Me My Name Back’ achieves its desire for a wide-reaching message through its direct and all-encompassing lyricism, which are given even more weight by Meg’s characteristically enthralling vocal performance. The track ventures forward in time from the vintage soul that defined her debut album to the more synthetic and futuristic territory she’s explored on tracks like ‘Grandma’s Hands’, resulting in an instrumental that’s rich in texture. Despite this, the song, much like its lyrics, is at its most powerful in the simple moments – specifically, the bridge, in which the instrumental is reduced to a drum beat, letting the stirring lyrics and gorgeous harmonies take the forefront.

The single’s release was accompanied by a music video, directed by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, the woman behind Her SoundHer Story, the recently-released documentary about women in the Australian music industry. The visual, which was made by an all-female crew, also features an all-female cast, who surround Mac in a dimly lit room as she sings and stand to recite the track’s title in the bridge. The ending is certainly open for interpretation, but is seemingly representative of victims ‘moving’ (quite literally) together in solidarity.

It’s unlikely that we’ll have to wait much longer for more Meg Mac material. The singer stated on Triple J’s Breakfast program that she “wanted to put this song, and this album it’s going to be on, out really quick because I want to get to my next one” as she’s been writing and recording “like crazy”. If this single is any indication of the quality of what’s to come, fans shouldn’t be expecting disappointment.